As of Thursday, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is closing Larson Creek to sockeye salmon fishing. The ban will include the creek itself, as well as a quarter-mile radius of its confluence with the Talkeetna River.
Area Management Biologist Sam Ivey says the sockeye run is winding down, and the number of fish counted is well below the minimum escapement goal for the season. Just under 7,000 sockeye have been counted on Larson Creek, and the minimum escapement goal is 15,000. The escapement goal is the number of fish that biologists believe need to make it upstream to spawn in order to maintain a healthy future population.
Anglers on Larson Creek are not allowed to target sockeye salmon, and Fish and Game’s emergency order says that any that are caught unintentionally must be immediately released.
